Art for Cancer

Please visit my friends facebook page, this is all for a good cause folks!

Art for Cancer Auction

The more we can raise the better!!!

Open Brief 003

Hi Peoples of the Interweb!

I'ts been a very long time since I've posted on here, but trust me, things have been chugging along with Gift.

Aside from working on the novel, myself and a s,mall team are trying to create a demo of something which we hope will be very cool, and very very new, but it's all hush hush at the moment, watch this space.

In the meantime, calling all hard-surface concept artists out there, we need 2 or 3 "flying vehicles" designing, think hover-bike or speedster. If you wanna have a go, then please get in touch!

C ya all soon!

Steve

Open Brief OpB_0002: Robot/Mech

Hey Guys

Looking for some concept art for this big fella, if you fancy having a go then please get in touch!

Cheers
Steve

Brief: OpB_0002
Robot/Mech: S.A.B.B (Single Automated Battle Bot)

To be big and powerfull, lots of upper body strength, but please not a transformer :o)

Brief: OpB_0001

Brief: OpB_0001
Creature: Dirts Desert Beast of Burden

To be a cross between a Large Eared Jerboas, some sort of Dinosaur/Lizard, and an Elephant. Roughly the size of a Lama.

Hero Concept Artist : Silvia Bartoli

Another crew announcement!

Silvia, the mad italian loon that she is, has joined as the Concept Artist tasked with creating the look of Dirt, and his Desert Dog.

She is a power house of nuttiness, and I can't think of anyone better to do this task!

Welcome Sazacat !!!!

Voice Artist : Jim Bennett

So, you want to know who Dirt is?

Well, it all starts with a voice, and here is his voice!

I am so very pleased to be able to announce that voice over talent Jim Bennett has joined Gift as the voice of Dirt.

Please help me to welcome him into this nutty world!!!

Welcome Jim, it's gonna be a blast!

Senior Modeller: Chris Maslen

Meet Chris

Chris is a cool guy, as you can tell.
He's also decided that he'd like to join the fold of Gift, as Senior Modeller for SABB

There is nothing more to say…except…

HEY CHRIS !!!!

Senior Rigger: Rikki K-T

Another Gift crew announcement.

My good friend, Rikki Knight-Trembath is joining as Senior Rigger, and is planning on working on SABB once he's ready to be rigged.

I've known Rikki for many years, from a fresh faced fresher at Bournemouth Uni, to his current home at ILM Singapore. This is a guy of many many talents, not least of which is his Wakeboarding.

Welcome Rikki !!!!

Concept Artist: Calvin Chua

Hi Everyone

I am pleased to announce that Calvin Chua has joined Gift and an Environment Concept Artist.
This young artist from Singapore has a bright future ahead of him I am sure, and I hope that working on The Well promo can help him along his road to Concept Stardom!

Please all join me in Welcoming him to our bonkers world :o)

Here's a link to his personal Website:

stormbrush.com/

Welcome C++ !!!

Cheers
Steve

Danny Draws

http://dannydraws.blogspot.co.uk/

There's not a single bad concept or drawing in this guys blog.
Just wish I could draw like him!!!

If I ever get Dev Funding for Gift, he's a concept artist that would possibly be at the top of my wish list!

Theme Tune for Gift?

Solar Fields - Reborn (Origins #1)

I'm quite a fan of these guys, always listening to their music whilst I work!
But this one track, somehow seems to fit in with my vision for The City, and in particular the Skyway journey to The Well (hitting the well at about 7:48 into the track).

What do you all think?
Any other ideas at all?

The Well (Maybe?)

Hello world!

Well (every pun intended) I've been playing about with Autodesk Mudbox, and decided to have a go at creating The Well, or at least the terrain for it, to put buildings and a city in it at a later date.

And here it is, the fruits of my labor.

Let me know what you think please guys, and if you have any ideas about how you think the buildings should look (I already have my own ideas)

And I wonder if any of you eagle eyed people can spot which famous city is the basis for the streets and alley ways?

Enjoy!

Steve

Chapter IV Part I

Chapter IV – Into The Well

“Can you believe it?”

Anjali was shouting at Kandah as they were speeding through the traffic.

“They lift the restrictions and curfew just in time for us to go … where is it we're going anyway?”

“Yeah, those biochemists always seem to manage it. Did you see the number of losses though? Ten thousand they said. Anyone you know fall to it?”

“No, I don't think so, but then we've always been lucky. Dad says his family have warriors blood cells!”

“I heard that it always seems to be what the Makarium call the “Undess” that fall to influenza.”

“What are they then, Undess? I've never heard that word!”

“I'm not too sure that I actually know, but what does it matter anyway?”

“Dunno, not much I suppose. So where are we going?”

“It's so nice seeing the city from up here, don't you think?”

“Kandah! Where are we, just a moment, we're heading into the sunset, that means were going towards the (shitty bit of the city). Kandah, I want to know where we are going!”

“Ok,Ok, we're heading for The Well to see someone that knows more about this than I do.”

“Knows more about this? Knows about what, exactly?”

“How to hack.”

“Hack? HACK! Hack what?”

“Well, she says she can hack anything, so I suppose thats what she means.”

“She? And does 'She' have a name?”

“Brambelle, well that's her handle anyway.”

“Oh, right, yeah, of course! I'm not sure I like the sound of this Kandah!”

“Well, it doesn't matter, were here now. Just down there's were we're going.”

Anjali was used to flying between the skyscrapers on the skyways, but as though there had been an invisible line drawn, the 'scrapers ceased, and Anjali found herself in a wide open space. To begin with it was strangely disconcerting to her, she was just so used to having something all around her. Now there was nothing, but air. Her eyes could wander further than normal, perhaps for the first time, she had some idea of seeing for some distance. Slowing her scooter down to a meer crawl, Anjali took a few moments to take what was before, behind, and all around her. She could see why it was called The Well. The city made sheer walls of glass, steel and concrete, describing an almost perfect circle. Looking down, the first thing she noticed was just how visable the streets were, there were no high rise buildings here, or at least not in comparrison to the city 'scrapers anyway. But then, looking deeper, she realised that the steets themselves were somehow sunken. As though anticipating her question, before it had even formed in her mind, Kandah spoke;

“It's a crater. An almost perfectly circular crater. The Well is about 200 meters below the ground level of the city.”

“Really?” Anjali gasped, “Wow!”

“Most of those buildings are workshops, of one sort or another, even though they look like shacks from up here, they're really huge! We've got to find Brambells, it's on the outskirts somewhere”

“Workshop? I thought you said she was a hacker!”

“She is. I also said she hacked anything. There're hackers down there that collect the scraps from the Leviathans, and 'hack' it into other, more useful things.”

“You mean they're mechanics?”

“God Anjali! Whatever you do, don't call them that! In fact, don't call them anything, or ask them anything. Actually, it's probably best you don't speak, at all. They're a bit, how can I put this, rough, I'll do the talking, Ok?”

“Oh, and you know rough do you? Kandah, you know books, how the sun shines, about how the internal workings of an atom make a vidi-vert work, you know, stuff. You don't know people, how people tick, and you especially don't know how The Well works!”

“Yeah, well, I got in touch with her, so I'll still do the talking.”

“Ok, have it your way, I'm not in the mood to argue. Lets head of that brightest area of light, it's probably best to stay in a more public place to start off with.”

“Yeah, ok, agreed.”

Turning their scooters over, they pealed down towards The Well in a graceful arc. The closer they got, the more massive it seemed. Dropping down below the level of the rim, the only evidence of the city beyond being the tops of the 'scrapers showing. Going further into the depths of The Well, the light changing as the went, Anjali and Kandah both noticed there was as much in the walls of the crater as there was on the floor. Tiny pinpricks of light that were windows, and huge great openings.

“Anjali, look. They've got to be launch bays of some sort.”

“Yeah, thats what I was thinking, but some of them are the wrong shape, too tall and not wide enough. What do you think those could be for?”

“I have no idea. They're too small for a regular launch bay too.”

“Let's get down there and find this Brambelle.”

Diving down towards the street level, Anjali and Kandah saw that they were much larger than they seemed from above. Somehow they seemed too big for everyday normal traffic. Finding a good spot to park and secure their scooters, Anjali and Kandah went about trying to work out how to find Brambelle. For some reason Kandah had neglected to actually get an address for her, instead trusting her insticnts, and the now seemingly vague directions that Brambelle had given her.

Finding a not too rough looking Umbrella-bar, and choosing a spot that wasn't too conspicuous, they watched the world come to eat and drink, and in some cases, get drunk. They just people watched for a short while, trying to work out who was who, and more importantly, who they might ask about Brambelle. It turned out that they didn't have to wait too long.

The barman and owner of this particular establishment knew as soon as Anjali and Kandah walked into the bar that they weren't locals. They were far too clean for starters. Most of his locals had lube up to their elbows, and oil so engrained into their skin they were positively waterproof.

“Hey! You! Why you here for huh?”

Looking about, as thought the barman should be addressing anyone but them, Anjali tried to ignore him. He looked like the sort of people Ashmita warned her about.

“I talkin' to you gurlie! Why you here huh?”

The attention of the barman was snatched by a voice from the darkest corner of the bar.

“Why a' you so interested, barman?”

“Who asked you, Dirt?”

“No one. No one but a' me that is. I asked ya, why a' you so interested, barman!”

With that the stranger leant forward, his face weathered by time as much as atmosphere, his eyes showed an age deeper than his years.

“Oh, no, no reason Dirt. No need to get all … agitated. They just out of place, is all, huh. Don't want no harm coming to them do we?”

“So long as you not involved, barman, non will! Get back to cleanin' ya glass a' leave be.”

Then turning to look, he addressed Anjali directly.

“You Ok? That barman, he mean no harm really, is just rough about these parts, an' he's right, you outta place. What you doin' a' here, if you don't mind me askin', nor you mind tellin', nor keepin' a person company for that matter”

Kandah hurriedly whispered to Anjali

“No, we shouldn't. He could be very dangerous Anjali. You heard what he said, it is rough here, and he's rougher than most I suspect.”

“I think that if he meant to harm us, he would appear to be nice to us. But he's not trying to be nice. He is being honest though, I think anyway. Something about him reminds me of Dad and Ashmita.”

Looking over at the man, Anjali could make out more of him, now the corner didn't seem quite so dark.

“We'll come and sit a little closer Sir, but not at your bench, well, not yet anyway.”

“Ah, that a' good choice. I see you a fast learner, that a' good too. Come, sit at that bench there, we can see each other good from there.”

Anjali, followed reluctantly by Kandah, sat at the bench opposite from the man. From the leathery complexion and translucency of his skin, and his pet, he spent a good part of his life in the high desert. Like any self respecting freeman, Dirt carried all his worldly goods with him, and just about everything had more than one purpose. Even the clothing he wore could be adapted to the environment he found himself in. Here, in The Well, the temperatures were considerably higher than he was more normally used to. In fact the temperatures were higher than Anjali was used to too. Kandah had warned her that it could get warm, and it was.

She remembered Kandah telling her something about it being because it was almost underground, and because it was closer to the core. Or maybe it's just the heat given off by all the buildings, Anjali didn't know why, but she felt like she was glowing, and the man, sat opposite her was clearly suffering a little too, beads of sweat were forming on his closely shaven head.

“What's your name sir, if I may ask?”

“Ah, polite too, must be from the City eh Groog”

The desert dog looked up at the man with plaintiff eyes, as though despairing of it's owner.

“I thought you wanted some company.” retorted Anjali.

“Easy easy, you a little too hasty, err?”

“We're not telling you our names, eh Anjali?”

Anjali looked at Kandah with plaintiff eyes, defiantly despairing of her friend.

“Anjali is it eh? Nice name, full of meaning that a' name. I like that a' name. Tell me, Anjali, what are you doin' in The Well then?”

“And your name?” replied Anjali, still defiant, and trying to regain some ground that she thought Kandah had lost them.

“Ah, of course. I'm a' sorry, forgettin' me manners. Dirt, thats what they call me. Can't remember if I ever had a real name, but Dirt is what I answer to.”

“Dirt? Oh! I thought the barman was insulting you.”

“No one can insult me no more, not really. You is ok, and just for the record, I won't harm ya, I know what honour is, I just had a rough life, is all.”

“What did, um, do, you do, Mr Dirt?”

“Not sure I wanna tell you what I did, not sure I wanna tell anyone what I did, not sure they wanna know either.”

“So, what do you do? Now, that is.”

“There you go, bein' hasty again. Too much infos can make ya brain explode. That sommet you don't wanna happen.”

“How can you have too much knowledge? That's just stupid, knowledge is power after all, they say!”

“Ah, but knowledge, like yous knows it, is useful. I'm talkin' about infos, just stuff, about people, things, useless information they stuff in ya head. Like you got infinite space, like they think it's all gonna fit in there, and then ya head explodes. Everythin' you thought you knew just goes out, and you not you self anymore, you just this kinda empty shell of stuff, of infos, of infos they shoved in your brains.”

“Erm, Mr Dirt, sir, are you ok?”

“Eh, what, ah, yeah, sorry. I got a bit carried away there. So, whats I does now is I lives in the high desert, tryin' to get my mind back.”

“You lost your mind Mr Dirt?”

“Dirt, just Dirt, no Mr about me. I can't remember if I was ever a Mr, or a Master, or anythin' else. They wiped it all outta me, outta my mind that is. They made me into...into something else, something wrong, something...well lets just say something that I want to forget. I don't wanna talk about it any more.”

“Who are they Mr, erm, Dirt? Why did they wipe your mind, why did they want to wipe your mind. The mind is what makes us humankind, isn't that what they say?”

“I tol' ya I don't wannna talk about it missy. It was me askin yous the question anyways. What you doin in The Well?

“We're looking for someone to help us, someone with a very specific sort of knowledge.”

“Ah, you lookin for a hacker?”

“How did you know that?”

“Hahahaha, Anjali, thats the ONLY sort of person you find in The Well, hackers, of one sort of another. I know most of em. Is it anyone in particular, I might be able to help ya find her.”

“Brambelle. Her name is Brambelle, do you know her?”

“Brambelle eh. Hmmmm. I don't know her, but I'm wonderin if she's the daughter of someone I do know. You know where her workshop is?”

“All we know is that it is on the Edge, but I have to admit, we don't know where that is.”

“On the Edge of The Well eh? That can mean only one thing, Battle Bots!”

* * * * *

Brambelle & SABB

Who are these two then?
Actually two new characters, can't say much about them just yet.
In fact the picture is from Dragons Heaven, but it just made me think of these two characters when I saw it!
A bit more info, SABB stands for Single Augmented Battle 'Bot

Chapter III Part III

On the outskirts of the City Limits, a gathering of Outers, people living off the scraps from the city, picking their way through the detritus of the Makarium, bit's and pieces of left over or redundant machinery. Anything that they could use to make the day to day grind of living off grid a bit easier, warmer, and less threatening. A small boy stood up, holding what could be a very useful element for the heater in his shack, sees something out of the corner of his eye, nothing more than a glint on the horizon, but definatly something. Looking harder and harder, his eyes resolving the form out of the chaos. Seeing that the form must be a person, he yelled towards the others in the gathering, pointing to the shape.

Seeing the group of Outers notice him, thinking that he had finally found a lasting salvation, a release from the living hell that had been his life, the “thing” that was once a man broke down and wept. Not tears of fear and pain that he was so used to, but tears of sheer and utter joy. Somehow he had to make his limbs work harder and faster, soon it would be over, but they would not respond to the signals from his brain. These combinations of metal and flesh, these abominations that used to be his arms and legs moved at their own, unceasing, monotonous pace. Controlled not by him, but by some other force. Slowly he felt their power dwindle, he felt the other additions to his body becoming inactive.

Then there it was, like the sensation of being pricked by the sharpest needle. First at the base of his spine, and then, one by one, again on each of the vertebrae along his back, a tingle from the inside. It gave him hope, maybe they were releasing him from his bonds, maybe he would be a free man again. He stood up straight to feel this renewed life in his body, breathing the air deep into his lungs. But soon the ecstasy was replaced with agony, pain upon pain. It came from deep within him. A feeling of his tissues tearing, tendons snapping. Then a pain so bad that it took all the sound away from his voice; the needles felt like they were turning into spears, each one stabbing out of his back, making him colapse down to the ground.

Still pointing to the person on the horizon, the boy heard a scream like he had never heard before. Just at that same moment, the massive hulk of a Makarium Enforcer rose above the being, it's massive head and single eye, always looking, always seeing, slowly rising higher and higher. Soon followed by the slender body, and at the bottom, the engine unit. From behind it's silhouette somewhere it formed a weapon, large enough to destroy a full on Battle 'Bot. A flash of intense light, and the screaming was gone, replaced by empty, harrowing, deathly silence.

SOme Cool Stuff

Well, here it is, 2013 !!!
Happy New Year everyone!

And nope, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, just been busy at work, moving house, getting on with life etc.

But, Gift is still on-going, I'm still working on the story (more of that soon), and I'm still looking for a visual style.

I came across this totally by accident today, so thought I would/should share, this is so close to the look of the machinery/vehicles, I just love the feel of it!

Ma. K. Gallery

It's a pretty big gallery, so take your time to have a look see.

Also, found a very cool site for anything and everything slightly weird and wonderful, enjoy!

Dark Roasted Blend

I hope you all have a wonderful 2013, see you soon!

Chapter III Part II

Kandah continued, “Ok, well, we know that she's the mother of human kind as we know it, yes?”

“Erm, yeah”

“That wasn't a question Anjali. Right, we also know that she fought the Great Enemy, and that she was almost defeated, but she managed to wound it somehow.”

“Yeah”

“And that because she only wounded The Great Enemy, our race has been fighting The War ever since. And the rest of history is about how we came from virtual savagry to what we are today. But, it was Victori who started it all.”

“Yeah, ok, I'm with you so far.”

“So, the question is...actually, what is the question? You haven't asked me anything other than what I already knew.”

Excited that she might know something that Khandah might not know, Anjali relished the moment perhaps a little longer than she would, or should.

“Anjali, what is it? You've got that look about you, like you know something! What is it?”

“What would you say if I told you that today I was holding a copy of the original document written by Victori herself?”

“What do you mean a copy of the original? You really didn't learn anything in Humanica did you? Only first hand evidence counts, so either the original, or nothing at all. What did it say?”

“I don't know, I didn't get to look at it that close, I mean, I had it in my hand, but just for a moment, then Vedas … “

“Vedas! That old fool? What's he doing with it?”

“I dunno, he said he was a Keeper or sommet.”

“You mean a Keeper of the Makarium?”

“Yeah, that was it, he said he was entrusted to keep special documents and artefacts.”

“You know that The Makarium tried him once, under the anti-heratical acts, 'cos he claimed to be in possession of artefacts that questioned the existence of human-kind!”

“Yeah, I think I heard something like that, thats why nobody really belives what he says though, isn't it?”

“Well the story goes that he was to be tried, but the then Grand Laywer held a hearing in secret and old Vedas came out as a Keeper of the Makarium.”

“Part of that is true at least, cos he did have that copy, I even held it in my hands for a bit, managed to see something.”

“Really? What?”

“Just a name, doesn't mean much to me, even when I looked it up.”

“What name, what name?”

“Wulfren. Does that mean anything?”

“Hmmm, I've heard that name before, I'm sure it was mentioned in class, let me see, what would it be in? Ah, I know, the Encyclopedia Humanis.”

Reaching up to her upper most shelf, Kandah pulled down a large old book, what the librarians of old would have called a Tome, it's leather cover covered in years of dust. It fell onto the table with a loud thump, as though the knowledge held on it's pages actually had mass. It's spine creaking as Kandah opened it's pages.

“Wulfren, Wulfren. What would that be under then? Hmmmm”

“Isn't there a list of contents or something, like with a Vault-Pad? I guess there's no search bar!”

“Ah, actually Anjali, you're wrong there, there is a search bar, of sorts anyway, it's called an Index!”

Flipping to the very back pages, Kandah showed Anjali the index, and quickly found a reference to Wulfren there, just a single article in the whole Encyclopedia. Turning to the page, and flowwing her finger down, she soon found it, and was sorely disappointed.

“Is that is? Is that all it has to say?”

“What? What does it say? Kandah!”

“Oh! Sorry. It says;

“Wulfren: The mythological opposite of Victori. He was once her partner. The Enemy made it's war, and he was lost, this is why The Sign of the Makarium is shouting a battle cry. This cry is the inspiration of the whole of humankind society.”

Nothing that says if he actually existed or not though!”

“Gawd! I knew that already!”

Immediately Anjali knew she had slipped up, that she was going to have to tell Kandah about her trinket. Maybe she didn't hear her, maybe she got away with it.

“What do you mean, you knew that already?”

“Erm, just that, I know that...”

“You were actually listening in class then?”

“Err, yeah, sort of …. “

Anjali was gald of the escape route that Kandah had just given her, she had to keep her trinket a secret, for now anyway.

“Strange, I don't remember that class, I must have missed it”

“Yeah, I think you did, you had extra science or something, that was why I listened for once, cos I didn't have you to tell me what happened after”

“Hmm, makes sense. But doesn't help us any, that article says nothing much, and by the sounds of it, thats all there is, oficially anyway.”

“Yeah, a dead end. Now what?”

“Anjali, we need to see Vedas' copy, or whatever it is he's got!”

“What? How? We can't just walk in there and pick it up you know!”

With a hint of a plan in her eyes, Kandah replied, “Maybe we can, just maybe”

Mood Boards

Hey Peoples

Just thought I'd post some mood boards that I've made to send off to concept artists, they are basically just a collection of images from the internet, from some astounding artists, that I've just put together in one place.

Hope you like them!

Steve

Quickie

Hey Guys and Gals

Just a quickie to let you know that I haven't vanished off the face of the earth, I'm jsut very busy with the project I'm working on at work, which wraps up soon, so there will be more Gift goodness then!

Steve

Update 24-06-2012

Hiya Peoples!

Just a quick update for you, as I've not posted anything this week.

Well, I'm writing some appendices to the story at the moment. Although I won't be posting them just yet, they contain important background to the entire world and and backstory for many of the characters, so it's pretty important I get that right.

Also, I've been creating some mood panels for various aspects of the visual design of the world, something to give the Concept Artists a better idea of what I'm looking for.

And finally, I'm going to start to write a screen-play for one sequence as a test. The sequence I've chosen is the road race Anjali has on her way to Janakas workshop.
The reasons I've chosen that sequence are that it doesn't need any live action, and it gives us a good view of various aspcets of the design, from her hover-scooter, the speeder she races against, other vehicles on the sky-way, such as the Leviathans.

Now a request ;o)
Are there any storyboard artists or concept artists out there in cyber-land that have read the story and thought, "Hmmm, I'd like a go at that"
If you're there, then please do get in touch, and we'll see what we can do :o)

Thanks for reading!
See you all soon!

Steve

Chapter III Part I

Chapter III – Outbreak

Anjali picked up the news on her vault-pad, it was everywhere, there was an outbreak!

The vidi-verts that used to tell you how good it was to go off to fight in The War were replaced with public notices about it, a new strain of influenza that caused people to loose their mind, it attacked the very cells of the brain. The Makarium were trying to procure money for the genetic research needed to beat this virus. It was airborne, so make sure you had your mask with you. If you saw anyone “lose their mind” you were to report it immediately, they would become hosts to the virus, and it could mutate again into something new and even more terrifying.

Outbreaks like this seems to happen every few years. As well as The War, there seemed to be a second war, a war with influenza. Every time the geneticists would gain the upper hand, and everything would go back to normal for a time, then there would be another outbreak.

Anjali hadn't seen anyone loose their mind, or anything else for that matter, in all of the outbreaks she had seen, though the news would be full of reports, it always was.

Besides, right now she had more pressing matters on her mind. The vault-pad of Brahta Vedas. What was it, really? Could it actually be the original document written by Victori herself? She didn't know where to start about finding out, but she knew someone who did.

Khandah was one of Anjali's best friends at school. She was, by her own admission, a geek and a nerd. To call her bookish was a bit like saying the Makarium was just a couple of Laywers. Unlike Anjali, Khandah wanted to go to The War, but she wasn't allowed. She had a problem with one of her glands that made it hard for her to (do something). She'd had it since an early age, so it wasn't any great shock to her, instead she put all her energies into books. Any book. It didn't matter what it was about, if it had facts in it, Khandah wanted to read it. As such she was almost a font of all knowledge. Most of the time that could be seriously anoying, Anjali would make some small quip about something, and Khandah would have to correct her with the actual proper facts, usually totally missing the point of what Anjali was trying to convey. But there were times when it was more than useful, especially when it came to some obscure piece of knowledge.

Anjali took out her trusty vault-pad, she'd just send Khandah a quick message, nothing too serious just yet;

“Hey Khandah! What do you know about Victori and her original document?”

That should do it. That would be more than enough to set her off on a search.

Within moments Khandah had replied, that was quick, even for her!

“I can't believe that you don't know about the original document, didn't you listen to anything at school? You want to come here, or shall I come to you?”

“I'll come to you, mother's in one of her moods!”

An hour later, and Anjali was sat on Khandahs bed, looking about her room, at all the old books, every single one of them would fit onto a single vault-pad. Anjali never understood the attraction of the old, there seemed to be more and more people trying to grasp hold of something of the past, instead of looking forward to the future.

“Why have you got all these old relics Khandah? I mean, what's wrong with a vault-pad?”

“Nothing. A vault-pad is good if you want to look up something quick, but if you want to kinda explore a subject a book is so much better, one thing leads onto another thing, and you can find out much more than you wanted to start off with. Besides, they look nice.”

“Well, I guess so, but give me my vault-pad any day, it's just easier!”

“Yeah, but easier isn't always better though is it?”

“Yeah, anyway. What about Victori and her document then?”

“Right, ok, so what do we know already, or at least those of us that were in class!”

“Umm”

“It was a rhetorical question, you're not supposed to answer it, if fact, I'm going to answer it.”

“Oh, ok, go ahead”

Janali was quite glad of that, it meant she didn't have to admit that in fact she knew next to nothing, she really didn't pay attention at school.

Chapter II Parts I - IV

Chapter II – Wheels

Deep within the Makarium State Buildings is an unassuming door. Unassuming in every way other than it is so far down a narrow corridor lit by only a couple of old arc-lights, the smell of ozone filling the narrow space. Where as most of the rest of the State Building was adorned with gilt and gold, as well as every legal symbol known to humankind, with all the pomp and ceremony associated with Legality. This one corridor was almost bare stone, like a tunnel to a crypt, and just as claustrophobic. The Door, simply made from steel, with little adornment, stood like a great barrier protecting the contents of the room from the world, or perhaps visa-versa. Grand Lawyer Bhrata Pellsim approached The Door, key in hand, the key handed down from each generation of Grand Lawyer to the next, the key to reveal the secrets of the Makarium, that's what was behind The Door.

Inserting The Key into the lock, Pellsim slowly turned it, feeling the mechanism inside resist against the force, until with a satisfying clunk, the key set into motion the whole lock. The faint sound of wheels and cogs turning inside the door, each of the locks releasing in turn, the noise reverberating down the narrow corridor.

And then silence, utter and complete silence.

Pellsim pulled hard on the handle, and the door swung open to reveal the room. A small, yet concise library, for the most part single cards, all indexed and catalogued into wooden drawers. Drawers that covered every every part of the wall from floor to high ceiling, front to back and side to side, each one a meter deep and filled with cards. A single tall library ladder on runners allowed access to each of the drawers.

In the centre of the room sat a single table, with a single chair at one end. Upon the table just 3 items; a large feather quill, a single sheet of parchment, and the largest volume that existed within the Makarium.

The parchment was the single most important secret, a deceleration of the council of Grand Lawyers to preserve the Pellsim way of life and society, no matter what the cost. The quill being the sacred pen used by each of the Grand Lawyers to apply their marks. And at the very bottom a symbol that perhaps, given the circumstances at the time, should not have been there. Just a circle with an offset cross, looking for all the world like a broken crosshair, but never the less a symbol that sent a chill through Pellsims veins.

The volume, sitting upon it's rest, whilst not as important, was considerably older than anything else within the room, even within the building.

It was The Laws, as written by the founders of Society, Wulfren and Victori.

Pellsim had come simply to put some more cards into the drawers. Looking at the cards, he selected each one according to alphabetic order, and then inserted each card into it's proper place. Each card contained just a few headings, the date, a location, and finally a name. Each and every single card within those drawers represented a person, a life, a death, a sacrifice for Society.

“If only they knew” he whispered to himself, before closing the drawers.

Turning The Key back in the lock, and hanging it back around his neck, Pellsim gave the room a revered look before heading back down the corridor to more comfortable surroundings. He knew that he would be back again tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that, and every day until he passed The Key on to the next.

* * * * * *

In his Chapel of Laws, Bhrata Vedas was busying himself for the visits of the teenagers visiting the Bar that day. At least once a week he would get a group of young adults to come to the chambers, and explain to them the history of the Makarium and what it meant to be in service. Most, he already knew, would go on to the forces to fight The War, some may even make it far enough to see The Enemy, but very few seemed to take the route into the Makarium, and that troubled him. The average age of the Lawyers was getting greater and greater with each passing year, and very few youngsters to pass the Laws and Lores onto, if it's not careful, the Makarium could simply pass of old age.

But, there was hope, every now and again he would find a young mind that was curious about more than just war and technology, one who was deep enough to see there was more to the world, yet still young enough to influence and mould into the right kind of mind for the service.

Today he knew he was going to meet just such a mind. He'd met Anjali many times before, when she came to work with her mother as a little girl, it had been a while since he had last seen her, but even when she was small, she had a more than inquisitive mind. The kind of mind that would not just simply roll over and join the forces. He was excited to see what kind of mind she had grown into, hoping that her mothers teachings would have helped to form it somewhat.

Donning his gowns, he prepared for the visit, wondering what questions she would ask. It didn't matter really though, he already had the answers, or at least he hoped he did.

“Somewhere”, he mumbled to himself, “I've got a vault-pad with almost everything she might want to know, and even some stuff she won't even know she wants to know.”

Rifling through the drawers of his desk he found it, wrapped in an old muslin cloth to keep it safe. It was an archaic device, even antique, but to Vedas it was what the pad contained that was more precious. There were things in this pad that you couldn't find in any normal Makarium Library, nor any modern day vault-pad.

Carefully he unwrapped the cloth, blowing the dust off, and giving the case a gentle wipe with his hand, feeling the achient metal tingle beneith his finger tips. Wrapping his fingers around the clasps, he un-locked the two halves, and let the pad fall open within his hands. Slowly the screens warmed up, and then with a spark, sprang into life, proclaiming the title of the pad.

“The Personal Memoires of Victori, founder of the Makarium.”

That will do just the trick, he thought to himself. Closing the pad, he settled down into a chair, waiting for the inevitable arrival of his student. Deep in thought about what the coming day would bring, he readied the Audio-Visual recorder almost as though on auto pilot, he would have a record of the happenings of that day.

* * * * * *

Anjali and her mother approached the Chapel of Laws from the main skyway, the lumbering Leviathans seeming to be more numerous than usual. In amongst the upper terraces of the city, the chapel seemed to almost nestle into it's position. Whilst not as large as the State Buildings, nor as grand, it had a certain presence that separated it from the other buildings, it's large, single transmission pylon helping to mark it's place within the jungle of buildings, the light from the streets below seeming to make the building as a whole glow from underneath.

The inside of the building was no less impressive, the rows and rows of benches for the faithful to come and pray, the huge bar at the head of the building where the Bhrata Lawyers would sit and pass judgement if required, the pulpit where the presiding Bhrata would give a sermon, and the ever present symbol of the Makarium.

Just below, and to one side of the Bar was the arched doorway into the Bhrata Chambers, where Anjali would meet Bhrata Vedas again.

Eye's from within a shadow in a darker corner of the Chapel watched with interest as Anjali and her mother entered through the door way, knowing full well that the contents of any discussions could be reviewed at leisure later on. Vedas was not the only one with an AV Recorder in that chamber, and he had to be watched, he knew too much already, just a little thought and logic could lead to conclusions the Makarium did not want to be visited.

Once inside the chambers, Anjali was surprised at how homely they were. Although she had met Bhrata Vedas many times before, she'd never been into his Makarium Chamber. His desk was large, covered for the most part with various volumes or Law, the odd vault-pad or two, and of course his working lights. But what stood out to her immediately was the vault-pad in the centre of his desk, left open, but deactivated. It wasn't just the fact that it was there, it was that it look so old.

What were the contents, what secrets did it hold?

Vedas was sat there, looking as old as the vault-pad, sat back comfortably in his chair. Even though he wore the Sign of Victori, she thought of him more as an Uncle, he was harmless enough.

“Come in Anjali, come in Jananii. Good to see you both again.”

“Good Morning Bhrata Vedas”, replied Jananii.

“Hiya Vedas”, Anajli could be so informal, even when she was supposed to be formal.

“So, Anjali, why have you come here today?”

“I've brought her here …”

“Please, Jananii, and with the greatest respect, let the girl speak for herself. Anjali?”

“I'm here 'cos mother says I have to be, as usual.”

“Anjali!” exclaimed her mother.

“But I do have some questions. Things that I've been wondering about recently.”

“At your age in life, we Bhrata expect most young minds to have decided what is needed of them.”

“Oh?”

“Ah! No no, I do not mean at all that you are in someway under developed Anjali, quite the contrary. I suspect that you could well have a fuller and deeper mind that most. You have no desire to go to The War, correct?”

“No I do not! Why would I, why does anybody want to? I don't get these kids that just think life is about fighting and glory. There must be more to it than that, surely, isn't there?”

“Most young adults decide at an early age that they wish to fight for a way of life. You could almost call it a lust, an instinct as strong as life itself. But every now and again we come across an individual, like yourself, who doesn't harbour this desire, who feels that perhaps they have something more, let us say more abstract, to offer.”

“What, like building tanks and leviathans? Why are those things blocking up the skyways anyway? They slow everything down!”

“Leviathans are needed by the Makarium Anajli. Building them, and tanks, is a job for those of a lesser intelligence...”

“Dad is intelligent, and he makes them, he can make anything!”

“Your father is an exception to the rule Anjali. I would class him as Architect perhaps, even though he behaves like some dock labourer some times. But you are getting off the point...”

“He's not a dock labourer, how dare you, my dad...”

“...is an enormously intelligent man who has served the Makarium well in the past. We thank him for that, and allow him to do as he chooses now, in his Golden years, Anjali. We are not here to discuss your father!”

“Right, well, you just remember that, then, ok?”

“I will always remember that Anjali. It was I that fought for his free status many years ago. Can we get back to the point now, please?”

“Well, yes, what were you talking about?”

“I was about to talk about options other than going into the forces, and The War. There are other ways that you can help society, especially with your background and parentage.”

“What have my parents got to do with what I can do?”

“Well, you see Anjali, you inherit certain skills and traits from them. I didn't know my parents, The Enemy killed them when I was just a small boy. The War was old even then, and that was a long time ago”

Anjali couldn't help but snigger at that comment, Vedas was old, but in a nice way. She looked at him more closely now, she hadn't known that he was an orphan, but then that was why the Makarium introduced laws about who could go to The War, if you had children under a certain age, you couldn't go, that was why some people did things other than fight, not because they didn't want to, but because they couldn't. In turn that created another problem, the population as a whole was getting old, the birth rate was lower than it ever had been before, because people were choosing The War over their own family. Looking at Vedas' eyes, she saw then a depth and understanding, he knew stuff, more than most people. Maybe it might be good to ask him about the trinket her Great Grandfather gave to her. Then her eyes wandered to the mark of the Makarium, the tattoo every Law-Priest had to show their devotion and conditioning, he could, and should, betray her. Could she trust him? Time would tell perhaps. For now, she would try to be as sly as she knew how, and try to get information out of him, just like she could with Ashmita. She would have to change her tac with him, lull him into thinking he was in control, and she was just a stupid teenager that knew nothing, although, when she really thought about it, that's exactly what she was, and was why she needed him.

“I'm sorry Bhrata Vedas, I didn't know you were an orphan”

“It's not something I advertise Anjali, but it's a fact of life, I'm still me, orphan or not.”

“So, what else can I do, other than go to The War that is?”

“As I was saying, there are lots of options for a young lady like you, lots of ways you could serve the Makarium, and by doing so, serve society”

“Such as?”

“Don't be so direct Anjali, Bhrata Vedas is trying to help you here!”

“It's ok Jananii, the young have yet to learn the subtleties of conversation. First of all Anjali, we need to work out just what your skills are, and to some extent your interests as well. If we can find you something that you're interested in it will make serving all the easier.”

“Well I like engines”

“Oh for pity sake, will you just forget about engines, I'll never forgive your father for getting you interested in such things. Engines are for people with a lower intelligence, Brahta Vedas just told you that”

“Ok, well, what about history, I like things from the past too, things that we don't know much about”

“Ah, now we're getting somewhere. The Makarium have an entire department devoted to examining the past, and what role it could have in the future. We think that the best way to defeat the Enemy is to find out about it's past first. But there are so many pasts, who knows which is the correct one? That, in essence, is the role of The Makarium, to show us what is true and what is false, and there are so many falsities in life Anjali.”

That puzzled Anajli for a moment, how can The Makarium decide what was true and what was false, but before the thought had taken hold in her mind, Bhrata Vedas activated the ancient vault-pad in front of him. Again the screens flickered into life.

“Take this vault-pad for example, do you know what it contains, could you guess?”

“Well, no, not without seeing it.”

“This is the Memoires of Victori herslf.”

“But anyone can get that a Library”

“Yes, that is true, but this particular one is special. The ones in the libraries are just edited copies of this one”

That single word, edited, made Anjali's ears prick up, this one contains more?

“What is so special about this one then?”

“This is the original, written by Victori herself, so long ago. As a Keeper of the Makarium, I am entrusted to look after certain artifacts, and as my speciality is in archiologic-knowledge, it is natural that such a thing should come to me. The one you have read in your education is based on this one, but written is a much more modern language, more suited to today.”

“So, are there, could there be, things in this version that aren't in the one I have read?”

“Well, not that I know of, but thinking about it, perhaps something of Victori's original message could have been lost in translation, so to speak. Would you like to see it, to hold it, even just for a moment?”

“Can I? Yes please!”

Carefully Vedas closed up the vault-pad, and handed it over the desk to Anjali.

Straight away she saw the symbol of the Makarium emblasoned on it's cover. But also the strange script she had on her tricket, or at least something similar, was embossed all around it's edges. Tentivly she opened it, and pressed the button to activate the screens, again they flickered into life, and again there was that mysterious script.

“Can I read a little of it please?”

“Yes you may, but just a little though. I am breaking so many laws by letting you hold it, but I don't see the harm, so long as it goes no further than this room.”

Again, by manitpulating the button, Anjali brought the main index up on the screen, a quick scan of it showed most of the chapters she already knew, and some she didn't, one in particular grabbing her eye;

“On The Passing of Wulfren”

So he was real, Wulfren was real.

Trying hard to conceal her excitement at the find, she knew she had to ask Vedas about Wulfren, but how?

“Can you pass that back to me now please Anjali, I need to put it back into it's safe place”

“Eh? Oh, errr, yes, of course, here you go.”

Gingerly, knowing just how precious this vault-pad was now, Anjali handed it back over the desk.

“It looks as though our time is up for now Anjali. I hope I have shown, or at least given you an idea that there is more than just The War, that there is purpose and reason, and the need for minds, such as yours, that can be of greater service in other ways. Now I have a meeting with a Master Lawyer, I'm afraid I must rush, I'm already running late, and you know that you can't be late. Tardiness is the fastest way to the front line.”

With that, Anjali and her mother were ushered out of his office.

The eye's in the shadows noticed them leaving, now all that was left was to retrieve the AV-recorder, what had he told the girl, was it too much. Knowing the old fool it probably was, he could rattle on and give tell of things that the Makarium did not want to be told. The look in those eyes grew soft, even for just a moment, as they looked at Anjali, but then turned steely again, “Focus on the task in hand”, was the thought behind them. Shortly after Anjali left the chambers, Vedas did too, his long dress cloak flowing behind him.

“Now to see what you were up to Bhrata Vedas”.

* * * * *

Grand Lawyer Bhrata Pellsim looked about his chambers, somewhat stark, and yet impressive by their sheer size. Others would think that his loan chair and desk, as massive as these were, looked small in such a large space. The head of the Makarium was always afforded such luxury, he had a full penthouse. To all intense and purpose there was no ceiling, just the glass that made up the roof of this particular tower. Each Grand Lawyer had recreated that office in his own manner. Pellsims predecessor had decided to show power by possession, and so when he took the office it was full of all sorts of exhibitionism. Pellsim decided that his office would be much sterner, and by logical progression, purer. It was rendered in the same stone throughout, a dark grey marble unique to one particular area of the world. Expensive in it's minimalism. The only difference was the level to which it was polished. The floor you could see your own reflection in, high and higher up the walls the marble was more and more unfinished, until right where it met the smoked glass roof it was almost as it were straight out of the quarry. His desk and large throne like chair were made of the same stone, equally as polished as the floor. Unseen and set into the desk top were various screens that relayed information to the Grand Lawyer. At this particular moment he was studying a report on Leviathan production, but waiting for a report from one of his greatest servitors, one of the Fire Hands themselves, with a report on that old fool Vedas. He had sent a Fire Hand, even though perhaps surveillance was underneath them, because of what he knew Vedas was in possession of. If he were to really study that Vault-Pad, then god only knows what would happen to society. Yes, Vedas was faithful to the Makarium, he had been conditioned to be, but he must not find the secret. The only safe way to keep it hidden would be to destroy all record of it, but at the moment that was impossible. The retirval of that Vault-Pad became a consuming passion for Pellsim, which was why he had the Fire Hands. They were the best of the best of the Forces, elite, and few in number. A single Fire Hand could take out an entire battalion before they even knew what was happening, they had more skills than that, they were infiltrators, spies, judge, jury and executioner all rolled into one. Pellsim had to have that Vault-Pad, and they were his way of getting it. He had to make sure that it did not contain any mention of the secret, of Victori's betrayal, of how and why Wulfren had passed.

Even as he was lost in his own thoughts, the report started to appear on his screen. This was good, his Fire Hand had full conformation that Vedas still had the Vault-Pad, that he hadn't really studied it, he would appear to be some how scared to study that ancient text too closely, or perhaps too reverent. The next bit of the report wasn't so good, why on earth had he shown it to this girl? Who was she anyway? He decided she was just another of Vedas' lost causes that he was trying to persuade to join the Makarium. He didn't know why he bothered, there was only The War, that was all that mattered, that was all that could matter. It was The War that had allowed society to become what it was today.

Pellsim sat back in his chair, looking into midair, marvelling at the advances in technology, medicine, robotics, and especially genetic design. If it hadn't been for The War, none of that would have happened. If it hadn't been for the Makarium, it society wouldn't have the will to make it happen. After all, The Enemy had to be beaten. At that single thought, a smile wrought it's way across the face of the Grand Lawyer.

But back to business, he had to give the Fire Hand new orders. What should she do next?

He decided that at the moment it would be best to simply just watch Vedas, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.

Pellsim had to address the Bar, they had to pass a new Law allowing the production of more Leviathans, more weapons. It was simple enough to pull the wool over their eyes though. A ramp up in production meant only good news for the economy. What would be harder would be a request for more funds for the geneticists. For some reason the Lawyers found it hard to understand genetic design, but it was vital for The War. How to dress it up so they would approve the funding? Medicine. Medical research, they would always fund that. But medical research into what?

What was needed was a new threat to society, a new disease, something that would create enough fear that the Lawyers would throw money at the research. A few thousand members of the public at large would have to be sacrificed, but the population was growing too fast for the city anyway, and the sacrifices would allow the geneticists to continue their work unabated.

The pristine corridor was tilled in purest white, floating lights all down it's length seemed to make it glitter. Running all along it's length were a myriad of cables, bringing power and information, all leading to the single room at the end. The sign above the door announcing it's purpose, Genetic Testing Room XI. From within came a sudden blood curdling scream, a scream that echoed it's way along the corridor, a scream that was repeated time after time. Almost as suddenly as it started, it abated, to be replaced with the faint sound of servos, cogs and wheels.